There is something incredible about the minds of those who find a niche in an industry and create something entirely new from which the world can benefit. People see the success of inventors and their time spent thinking and making, but they rarely see all the pitfalls that come with it. Being an inventor comes with as many failures as it does successes, and you can look at history to see it. It took Edison hundreds of times to perfect the lightbulb, and he never considered his failures anything other than learning how not to make a lightbulb!
There are many things that you need to know about creating inventions, and there are five very specific things that you need to follow to be able to patent their idea. There are current examples of patents pending out there, including these Geoff Hirson inventions. No matter what you do, patenting is vital for the success of your invention. With this in mind, here is exactly what you need to know about inventing and patents.
- Watch your admissions. It’s one of the important pieces of the patenting puzzle and many inventors trip themselves up on it. Before you file your patent application, you need to remember that admissions are treated as prior art by the patent office. Everything that you do and say with your patent will be used against you – so be careful!
- File first – always. It’s vital to understand that you are likely not the only genius out there with the idea that you have. The law has changed in the U.S in recent years, where now the first to file means that you have to file first to be in with a chance to get your patent approved. First come, first patented, and while you may think it’s prudent to wait for a patent, it’s vital that you try to get your patent application in as early as possible.#
- Provisionals are your friend. Many inventors have a wariness surrounding provisional patents, and it makes sense because the word “provisional” is like a trial. However, there is no such thing as a provisional patent, you’re just filing a provisional application. This will offer you lower cost patent filing without the patent term running.
- You will never draw too many patent drawings! You need at least one drawing when you are applying for a patent, and whether it’s a requirement or not do it anyway! Eventually, it will be asked for so don’t wait to be asked.
- Be specific. Many inventors fear this part – being too specific in their patent applications. However, if you fear this, you shouldn’t file in the first place. You need to be specific to be able to get your patent. Going too broad means that someone else out there who is more specific is going to win over you!
Patents are a must if you want to get your invention out into the world. Research is your friend here, so do as much as you can.
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